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Chapter Seven
DANI watches nervously from the observation room as the OSI doctors begin surgery on the little girl. Her name is AUBREY. DANI found her file while she was helping KILLIAN and JASON with their research. Seeing AUBREY lying helpless on the OR table reminds DANI of her own little girl, which she met only briefly before being forced to watch her frail form die in the claws of the Pure that cut her from DANI’s womb. She can’t bear to watch another little girl die. LEIDECKER arrives shortly after the containment team and takes DOM aside for a brief conversation before heading into the room where KIDA and NEMO are resting. DOM takes a couple of OSI teams back down below to try and find the missing creature. They end up discovering two trails that lead away from the hospital and into the city’s sewer system. Detective LAURA HOUSTON departs with the SFPD. KILLIAN decides to go home and try to get some sleep so he can look at the investigation with fresh eyes. He has an unexpected visitor when he makes it back to his apartment, though. MEAGAN is there helping herself to his fridge and his wine. She claims she wanted some company and proceeds to ask him about his day. After a pleasant conversation, they both end up falling asleep in his bedroom. JASON heads over to the children’s hospital where the staff and patients were transferred planning to talk with DR. WAHNSINNIG about ALEXA WOODS. Back at the other hospital, DANI’s heart sinks as she gets her first look at the creature inside of AUBREY. It is a miniature version of the nightmare she fought below. The doctors are shaking their heads, shoulders slumping. The creature has attached itself to AUBREY’s heart and respiratory system and they don’t think they can remove it without killing her. They decide it is too risky to continue surgery. DANI cannot except the doctor’s verdict and enters the OR, somehow managing to convince the doctors to give her a few minutes with the AUBREY before closing her back up. As the doctor’s leave, DANI closes and locks the door behind them. She looks down at the creature and decides to try and talk to it using the First Tongue. It seems to understand and lifts its head slightly to look at her, begging her to leave it alone. DANI refuses, insisting the creature detach itself from the little girl. It says it can’t do that – it’s not fully developed and will die if it leaves the host now. DANI offers herself as a host instead, but the creature says it is unable to transfer hosts. “I can’t let you take this little girl’s life…” DANI responds, and takes a deep breath, knowing what she has to do. KILLIAN is awakened by the buzzing of his phone. It is LALEH, who has apparently just been briefed about a new case at the children’s hospital where the patients and staff were transferred. A janitor has gone missing. KILLIAN carefully extracts himself from MEAGAN’s arms, leaving her sleeping soundly and heads out. He is met at the scene by Detective LAURA HOUSTON, who once again makes her displeasure with having to work with the FBI known. LALEH meets up with both of them as LAURA is briefing KILLIAN and LAURA demands to know who she is since she hasn’t met LALEH yet. KILLIAN introduces LALEH as their medium, which is met by an eye roll and a huff. Together they walk into the hospital and head toward the janitor closet on the first floor, which is where the janitor was last seen. There are signs of a brief struggle, but no blood and KILLIAN discovers a layer of ooze heading up into the vents above. It is very reminiscent of what they saw all over the boiler room of the other hospital where the three patients were found. LALEH starts to set up her ritual in the janitor closet, but is ordered not to proceed by KILLIAN. The argument that follows results in LAURA walking out of the room until they resolve their “lover’s quarrel” and LALEH leaving in a huff and heading outside for a breather. How is she supposed to do her job if her team continues to be so afraid of the unknown? Back inside, JASON confronts DR. WAHNSINNIG and is summarily dismissed. The doctor is refusing to cooperate with the investigation and manages to get JASON escorted outside by hospital security. KILLIAN joins up with LAURA and receives a phone call from DOM who is requesting back up to follow the trails leading into the sewer systems. KILLIAN responds that he has his own situation at the children’s hospital, and also needs back up to investigate further. It seems the problem has spread outside the original hospital. DOM asks if LALEH has any insight to provide and KILLIAN explains that he did not allow her to proceed with her ritual, after which DOM reprimands KILLIAN for interfering with his teammate. A heated argument follows which results in KILLIAN hanging up on his superior, but not before DOM orders him to investigate the boiler room of the children’s hospital. KILLIAN and LAURA head downstairs to the boiler room. LALEH sees JASON being escorted outside by security and interferes, ordering them to stand down. JASON has been approved as a FBI consultant on this case and is authorized to take part in the investigation. JASON and LALEH head back inside together and revisit the janitor’s closet. After assessing the scene, JASON realizes something that sheds new light on the investigation. Up to this point the team has been trying to determine where the face huggers and the nightmare creatures originated from, whether they crossed over from the Shadow or something else. JASON explains this creature didn’t come ''from anywhere. It just appeared in the janitor’s closet and then escaped with the janitor up through the ventilation system. Something was causing these creature to materialize out of thin air. While LALEH and JASON discuss the next step, KILLIAN and LAURA find the missing janitor in the boiler room, complete with face hugger. KILLIAN senses there is something else in the room and shifts his gaze to the ceiling above, searching through the maze of pipes and vents above their heads. Between some of the larger pipes, he spots a dark figure hunched in the shadows. He signals Laura before drawing his gun and firing. One of the nightmare creatures unravels from around the pipes and launches itself at KILLIAN, hissing. LAURA draws her gun and unloads a full clip into the creature as it grapples with KILLIAN and it collapses. KILLIAN stumbles back and fires two more rounds into the creature’s head before sinking onto a crate to catch his breath. “You’re hurt bad.” LAURA states, hurrying to his side. “Hold still and let me take a look.” Meanwhile, DANI prepares to surgically remove the creature from AUBREY. She knows her chances are slim, given her limited medical knowledge, but she has to try. KIDA and NEMO wake up in a hospital room, miraculously healed from their recent encounter. NEMO’s face has no indication of ever being burned. Relieved, they get dressed back in their normal clothes and head out into the hallway to see how the investigation is progressing. KIDA is surprised to see DOM in the hallway standing by a vending machine. She hasn’t see him in a couple of days and rushes toward him, embracing him in a hug. “Where have you been?” DOM takes a few moments to catch her up on developments in the case, purposely avoiding the subject of his recent evolution. He has just returned with two teams from down below. There are two trails leading away from the hospital that need to be investigated. There is also something going on at the children’s hospital the patients were transferred to, but currently KILLIAN, JASON, LALEH and LAURA HOUSTON are handling that investigation. DOM, KIDA and NEMO head down to ''Surgery where DOM left DANI. They arrive just in time to see her emerge from a surgical suite and lean, relieved, up against the wall, motioning the doctors back in. To her great surprise, she was able to successfully remove the creature from AUBREY. She had crushed its hideous form in her hands as it cried out for “My QUEEN!” DANI wasn’t sure what that meant, but for now knowing AUBREY was going to be okay was enough. “Come on DANI,” DOM breaks into her thoughts. “We have to find out where those other creatures went.” Together the four of them head back down below and decide to follow the path of the slower creature. It leads them out away from the hospital and into a nearby apartment complex. DOM asks DANI in a hushed whisper if they should change forms to be able to track them faster, but DANI shakes her head. It would be a violation of the Oath to do that in front of KIDA and NEMO, not to mention the inhabitants of the apartment complex they might run into. The trail leads upstairs and then breaks off into three different directions heading into three separate apartments. As they proceed toward the first apartment, DOM receives a call from LAURA HOUSTON letting him know KILLIAN did well, but is hurt pretty badly. The threat has been eliminated for now. LAURA is taking KILLIAN back upstairs to be treated by the hospital staff. DOM nods in approval as he hangs up the phone and they move in to search the first two apartments. To their dismay, they find a total of three residents between the two rooms, all with face huggers attached. They dispatch the face huggers, but determine they have been here for roughly five days. Most likely the affected residents have creatures growing inside them. DOM calls for an OSI team to come and remove the affected residents as they move to clear the final apartment. DOM takes the lead and is attacked by a face hugger as soon as he enters the apartment. It wraps around his throat and moves to attach itself to his face. KIDA, NEMO and DANI scramble to help. DANI grabs for KIDA’s stun gun but is unable to discharge it in time. NEMO attempts to stun it, but misses as DOM thrashes around. DOM panics and to DANI’s dismay, shifts up to his battle form to remove the threat. NEMO and KIDA gasp and stumble backward, then break and run, screaming as the Lunacy takes hold. DANI helps DOM free himself from the face hugger and destroy it. He shifts back down to his human form and DANI admonishes him for breaking the Oath. Feeling guilty, he calls for LALEH and JASON to track down NEMO and KIDA and try to help them while he an DANI finish searching the apartment complex. LALEH and JASON have the FBI run traces on KIDA and NEMO’s cell phones to track them. They are unable to track NEMO, but KIDA is apparently on the Golden Gate Bridge, which isn’t far from the hospital. Hoping the two of them are together, they rush to the bridge. JASON is somewhat wary because he knows the bridge is claimed by the LORDS OF THE GATE, which are a pack of high ranking Storm Lords. Going into their territory unannounced will be dangerous. His concern only deepens when he and LALEH reach the bridge and behold the sight before them. KIDA is in the center of the Golden Gate Bridge discharging her weapon at a school bus full of children and screaming at something called the Agents of the Storm ''to leave her alone. She appears to think NEMO is with her though JASON and LALEH see no sign of her presence. JASON knows the LORDS OF THE GATE will be coming to eliminate the threat in their territory. He motions for LALEH to try and circle around behind KIDA and disarm her while he tries to talk her down. LALEH moves off and JASON calls out to KIDA. She focuses her attention on him, temporarily halting her attack on the school bus. They can hear sirens and news helicopters in the distance. Time is running out. As NEMO runs blindly out into the streets of San Francisco, she feels a surge of power course through her body. Her fractured mind suddenly realizes she now has the strength to make all of her problems go away and eliminate the source of all her fears and anguish. Filled with rage and vengeance, she heads for the FBI building. If she hadn’t gotten involved with the OSI, none of this would have happened to her. She has seen too much in the last two weeks, been exposed to too many horrors. It was time to end it all. Back on the bridge, JASON’s attempts to talk KIDA down suddenly go south as she turns her weapon on him and fires. At the same time, she seems to notice LALEH approaching and turns and fires at her as well. LALEH fires back and as the two exchange rounds JASON realizes the LORDS OF THE GATE are closing in as a thick fog encompasses the scene. If he doesn’t do something fast, they will kill KIDA and probably LALEH too, that is if they don’t kill each other first. Thinking quickly, JASON shifts up to his battle form and charges KIDA with the intent of taking her off the bridge. She sidesteps his first attempt and he manages to catch himself on the railing before going over the edge. He pulls himself up behind KIDA, who now has her back to him as she turns back around to fire at LALEH. Coming up behind her, JASON encircles her with his large arms, pinning them to her side before falling backward off the bridge. As they fall, JASON does his best to wrap himself around KIDA so he can break her fall as they plunge into the cold waters below. LALEH lowers her weapon as KIDA is taken off the bridge. A low growl emanates from behind her, and she turns and comes face to face with a large wolf. She smiles a strange smile and then gently reaches up to pat him on the nose. The wolf cocks his head, peering incredulously at the human that just dared to snoot boop him. LALEH swears the large wolf chuckles as he turns and disappears into the fog. DOM and DANI trace their steps back toward the hospital with the intent of following the second trail. The apartment complex is now secured. DOM’s phone rings and he listens, jaw dropping, as LALEH briefly reports what happened on the Golden Gate Bridge. As he hangs up the phone, DANI looks at him pointedly, “And ''that’s why we don’t change in front of them.” They proceed in silence for a few minutes before DOM’s radio crackles to life. The FBI building is under attack and all agents are being recalled immediately to assist. DOM looks down at the second trail and back at DANI, hating to leave the mission incomplete. “We can hunt it down later…that’s what we do. Right now, we should return to HQ,” she says quietly. They decide the quickest way to get back would be to go through the Shadow and prepare to cross the Gauntlet using DOM’s ring. DOM disappears first and DANI follows. When she gets to the other side, though DOM is not there. She looks around, confused, and then peers back across. DOM is nowhere to be seen. Unsure of what just happened but knowing that DOM would want her to help his people, DANI shifts into her wolf form and takes off in a full run toward HQ. There are a lot of innocent people in that building. As DANI arrives at HQ, she sees the entire top of the building engulfed in a lightning storm. The building is shaking and starting to crumble. It is currently being evacuated. DANI’s hackles rise as she recognizes that Fae magic is being used here, a LOT of Fae magic. “I need to buy them more time,” she thinks to herself, as frightened groups of people pour from the building. DANI moves deftly through the crowd into the building, weaving between people’s legs and feet. She asks RELIQ to help her locate the source of the storm, and he adds his power to hers as she begins to hunt. She winds her way through the destruction up to the top of the building, where she sees a female figure engulfed in lightning floating above. The storm is originating from her. Shifting to her battle form, DANI leaps in the air toward the Fae. As they clash, the FBI building quakes below them. The Fae’s raw power far outmatches DANI, but physically she is stronger. If she can distract the Fae long enough, maybe everyone will be able to get free of the building. She manages to do more than just distract her, though and is able to halt her attack. The lightning dissipates as the two of them separate and plummet toward the ground below. As they fall, DANI looks over and sees not the Fae, but NEMO. She wraps her body around her, trying to break her fall as they crash into the alley below. NEMO is unconscious, but alive. DANI picks her up and carries her out of the alley, losing them both in the chaos of the city. KILLIAN sits in his hospital bed as the news on the TV explodes, covering both the shooting on the Golden Gate Bridge and the attack on the FBI building. He shakes his head as LAURA walks into his room to check on him, “HOUSTON, we have a problem…” The Story Continues… Current Developments - Chapter Six - Chapter Eight